February 10, 2026

Seth Godin’s calendar message for today is:

         “Kindness leads to more kindness.  The opposite is also true.”

So, those I admire practice kindness and those that challenge me in a negative way practice hatred, bullying, bitterness, prejudice, and more.  In our leaders, those that practice these negative traits foster negative responses in others – it’s a sad spiral.  The Tao says that “True power appears weak” and that the “basis of true power is humility”.  I chose quiet and kind leaders to those who are brash and who wallow in their bravado.  It takes patience for me to wait out the leaders that disappoint me.  Reasonable, persistent, peaceful and kind resistance is also a viable and necessary option.

December 11, 2025

The Most Underused Performance-enhancing Behavior

I recently read an article by Scott Hutcheson highlighting material in a book by psychologist Robert Emmons called Biohacking Leadership: Leveraging the Biology of Behavior to Maximize Impact.  The article isolates GRATITUDE as the simplest, most underused performance-enhancing behavior in modern work.  I propose that GRATITUDE, along with KINDNESS, are the simplest and most effective behaviors to improve our lives in general.

Many years ago, a friend suggested that I create a Gratitude Journal.  Since starting this, every morning, as I sit down at my table for my morning beverage, meal and reading material, I enter a simple note in my Gratitude Journal.  It can be a few words or a more detailed description of something that I observed the day before or maybe a dream that I had.  This simple gesture sets my path for the day.  It keeps me mindful of the many things that I come across in my day for which I am grateful (it’s really everything isn’t it?).  

I recommend a Gratitude Journal to anyone who wants to start their day on a positive note, no matter the headwinds and storms circling around us.